Baler door latch

ABSTRACT

A latch for the bale door of a baler including an elongated latch bar member pivoted to the door and an elongated strike carried by the baler, and latching mechanism including a roller pivoted to the bar member, an abutment carried by the door, and a control lever for causing revolution of said roller about its pivots into contact with said abutment.

United States Patent Peterson Aug. 26, 1975 [5 BALER DOOR LATCH 3,537,242 11/1970 Bennett 292/218 X 3,806,179 4 1974 R l 292 259 [75] inventor: Wilbur E. Peterson, Harmony, Ocss c Minn. Primary ExaminerRichard E. Moore [73] Assigneez Harmony Enterprises, Inc-i Attorney, Agent, or FirmMerchant, Gould, Smith &

Harmony, Minn. Ede

[22] Filed: Feb. 19, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 443,397 [57] ABSTRACT A latch for the bale door of a baler including an elon- [52] US. Cl. 292/100; 292/259; 292/DIG. 32 gated l h b member i d to h d d an [51] Int. Cl. E05C 3/04 elongated Strike carried by the baler and latching Field of Search 7, mechanism including a roller pivoted to the bar mem- 292/218, 259, I 32 ber, an abutment carried by the door, and a control lever for causing revolution of said roller about its pivl References Cted ots into contact with said abutment.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,366,433 1/l968 Cann 292/2l8 x 3 Clams 6 D'awmg Flgures PATENTED AUG 2 6 I975 E75 1 mm BALER DOOR LATCH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the art of baling equipment for compaction and convenient disposal of compressible waste it is necessary to provide an opening through which a complete bale may be removed. It is convenient to have a hinged door to close such an opening rather than using a bar arrangement, for example, but since the door is subject to the compressional forces being applied to the waste materials, usual door latching expedients are found inadequate. Moreover, a latch for this purpose must not be subject to release or unlatching under the effect of the compressional forces acting in a reverse manner on the latch mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the object of this invention to provide a new and improved latch for baler doors. This latch allows the door to move out in a controlled action that relieves the bale pressure before the door is allowed to swing free. It is another object of the invention to provide a baler door latch which is simply actuated into latched or unlatched positions, in inexpensive to construct, easy to use, and not susceptible of unlatching by reason of any force acting solely on the door.

Various other objects, advantages, and features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexted hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawing which forms a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable baler incorporating my invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation showing my improved latching mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 33 of FIG. 1, showing the door in its latched condition;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 44 of FIG. 2, showing the door in its latched condition; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmentary sectional views like FIG. 3 showing two stages in the unlatching of my improved latch.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawing a portable hydraulic baler 10 is shown to have frame 11, a loading door 12, and a bale door 13 hinged at one end 14 and made in two portions 15 and 16 hinged centrally at 17 to require less space around the baler when the door is to be opened. Except when a completed bale is to be removed, door 13 is maintained closed by my new latch mechanism 20.

As best shown in FIG. 3 the frame 11 of the baler is formed to provide, or carries, a strike 21 extending vertically along the bale door opening. When the door is closed a latch bar member 22 of channel cross section engages strike21 along the inner surface of one of the channel legs 23. The: bar .is carried on upper and lower pivot'plates 24 and 25, forrotation about the vertical axis of a hinge pin 26 passing through holes in framing members 27 and 30 of the door.

I provide means to prevent bar 22 from rotating about its axis and allowing door 13 to open in response to compressional forces on the door. To this end a vertically extended shaft 31, carrying a freely rotatable roller 32, is carried in pivots 33 and 34 mounted near the ends of the other channel leg 35 of bar 22, arms 36 and 37 being secured to rod 31 for this purpose. A control lever 40 is secured to and may comprise a continuation of rod 31; it extends horizontally and lies parallel to the door 13 when the latch is closed. Lever 40 may be provided with a hand grip 41.

My latch is shown in its closed condition in FIGS. 1-4. It will be seen that roller 32 lies parallel and close to door 13, and partially within the channel outline of bar 22. Any force acting on door 13 will tend to act at 23 to rotate latch bar 22 clockwise about pin 26. If this occurs, roller 32 is simply displaced, with very little rotation about pivots 33, 34, until it contacts door 13, whereafter no further latching bar movement can occur because the roller is in an over-center condition and the undesired forces can only reinforce this state.

Now when it is desired to open the door, lever 40 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6. This causes revolution of shaft 31 and roller 32 about the axis of pivots 33 and 34 past a center position, at which the line joining the axes of the roller and the pivots is perpendicular to and the roller is substantially tangent with the door, to the position shown in FIG. 5. Here roller 32 contacts the surface of an abutment 42 carried by door 13. Upon further movement of lever 40, a toggle action takes place, the roller acting as a fulcrum to displace pivots 33, 34 and hence to rotate latching bar 22, about pivot 26, until leg 23 of the bar moves beyond strike 21 and allows the door to be opened; this is shown in FIG. 6.

When the door is to be closed a reverse operation of lever 40 toggles the latch bar member back into engagement with strike 21, and then displaces roller 32 into its over-center position: the door is again latched against undesired opening.

Numerous objects and advantages of my invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, and the novel features thereof are pointed out in the appended claims. The disclosure, however, is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts, within the principle of the invention, to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

What is claimed is:

1. A latch for a door vertically hinged in a doorway comprising an elongated vertical strike carried by the doorway and a latch mechanism carried by the free edge of the door, said latch mechanism comprising, in combination:

a latch bar member having an elongated lip;

vertical spaced means pivotally mounting said bar member on said door, for rotation about a first vertical axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the bar member, from a locking position in whcih the inner surface of said lip engages behind said strike;

and over-center means for rotating said bar member into and out of said locking position, and for maintaining said bar member in said locking position in the presence of forces on said door tending to rtate said bar.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the lastnamed means includes a vertically extending shaft carrying a roller;

spaced pivot means carried by said bar member and having a second vertical axis;

means mounting said shaft for revolution parallel to itself about said second axis of said pivot means, at a predetermined radius therefrom, out of a position parallel to and adjacent said door when said bar member is in said normal position;

a control lever extending horizontally from said shaft to normally lie substantially parallel with the door, so that angular displacement of said lever horizontally causes said revolution of said shaft, the predetermined radius being such that said roller becomes substantially tangent to said door after a first portion of said rotation;

and means preventing reverse displacement of said roller in response to rotational forces applied to said bar and therethrough to said pivot means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the lastnamed means comprises a vertically extending shaft carrying a roller;

spaced pivot means carried by said bar member and having a second vertical axis; means mounting said shaft for revolution, parallel to itself, about said second axis of said pivot means, at a predetermined radius therefrom, out of a position parallel to and adjacent said door when said bar member is in said normal position;

a control lever extending horizontally from said shaft to normally lie substantially parallel with the door, so that angular displacement of said lever horizontally causes said revolution of said shaft, the predetermined radius being such that said roller becomes substantially tangent to said door after a first overcenter portion of said rotation;

and abutment means carried by said door for en gagement by said roller whereupon further displacement of said lever causes pivotal movement of said bar member on said door to disengage said bar from said strike, thereby permitting said door to be opened. 

1. A latch for a door vertically hinged in a doorway comprising an elongated vertical strike carried by the doorway and a latch mechanism carried by the free edge of the door, said latch mechanism comprising, in combination: a latch bar member having an elongated lip; vertical spaced means pivotally mounting said bar member on said door, for rotation about a first vertical axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the bar member, from a locking position in whcih the inner surface of said lip engages behind said strike; and over-center means for rotating said bar member into and out of said locking position, and for maintaining said bar member in said locking position in the presence of forces on said door tending to rotate said bar.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the last-named means includes a vertically extending shaft carrying a roller; spaced pivot means carried by said bar member and having a second vertical axis; means mounting said shaft for revolution parallel to itself about said second axis of said pivot means, at a predetermined radius therefrom, out of a position parallel to and adjacent said door when said bar member is in said normal position; a control lever extending horizontally from said shaft to normally lie substantially parallel with the door, so that anGular displacement of said lever horizontally causes said revolution of said shaft, the predetermined radius being such that said roller becomes substantially tangent to said door after a first portion of said rotation; and means preventing reverse displacement of said roller in response to rotational forces applied to said bar and therethrough to said pivot means.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the last-named means comprises a vertically extending shaft carrying a roller; spaced pivot means carried by said bar member and having a second vertical axis; means mounting said shaft for revolution, parallel to itself, about said second axis of said pivot means, at a predetermined radius therefrom, out of a position parallel to and adjacent said door when said bar member is in said normal position; a control lever extending horizontally from said shaft to normally lie substantially parallel with the door, so that angular displacement of said lever horizontally causes said revolution of said shaft, the predetermined radius being such that said roller becomes substantially tangent to said door after a first over-center portion of said rotation; and abutment means carried by said door for engagement by said roller whereupon further displacement of said lever causes pivotal movement of said bar member on said door to disengage said bar from said strike, thereby permitting said door to be opened. 